Homeopathy
was introduced in India the early 19th century.
It flourished in Bengal at first, and then
spread all over India. In the beginning,
the system was extensively practised by amateurs
in the civil and military services and others.
Mahendra Lal Sircar was the first Indian
who
became a homeopathic physician. A number
of allopathic doctors started homeopathic
practice
following Sircar's lead. The 'Calcutta Homeopathic
Medical College', the first homeopathic medical
college was established in 1881. This institution
took on a major role in popularising homeopathy
in India. In 1973, the Government of India
recognised homeopathy as one of the national
systems of medicine and set up the Central
Council of Homeopathy (CCH) to regulate its
education and practice. Now, only qualified
registered homeopaths can practice homeopathy
in India. At present, in India, homeopathy
is the third most popular method of medical
treatment after allopathy and Ayurveda. There
are over 200,000 registered homeopathic doctors
currently, with approximately 12,000 more
being added every year.
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